I found this helicopter while browsing YouTube for Stirling Engines. Not only is it a beautiful helicopter but it is powered by a stirling engine. No, it doesn’t fly, but the rotors spin as though it’s ready for takeoff when you light up the alcohol lamp. After a month of …

I have always been fascinated by miniature steam engines and have wanted to build one since I first began metal working. For years I searched for a design that was esthetically pleasing and one that didn’t require a compressor. Recently I found this beautiful design by Jan Ridders who was kind …

Ever since the fourth grade when we made solar systems with coat hangers and styrofoam balls, I’ve wanted to build a more realistic Orrery but was never able to find a design or set of plans that inspired me. Having never worked with gears, I believed that designing my own …

When my store bought knife block ran out of space I decided to build my own. I wanted it to be unique, so I spent a lot of time viewing images on the Internet and eliminating each one from consideration. Once I knew what it wouldn’t look like, I needed …

A Cryptex is a very clever device for storing secrets. It first appeared in the movie The Da Vinci Code and has inspired many people to create their own versions. If you search the Internet you’ll find dozens of clever designs – some very simple and others much more complex. …

I’ve built lots of simple model kits over the years but this one, a gift from my son, came with over 900 parts. Although the model wasn’t designed to have lighting, I wanted to make it as authentic as I could so I crammed dozens of LEDs and what seemed …

My dad taught me to use a hammer and saw when I was around seven and I have been doing woodworking ever since. From go-carts to tree houses to simple pine furniture and finally to these, which are my own designs. All of my woodworking today uses hardwoods with hand …

The last step in completing a Jedi’s training is to build his own light saber. For me, it was the first step in learning metalworking. I spent months making test pieces, mastering each of the techniques I’d need to build the saber: turning, drilling, knurling, milling, engraving, threading, etc. When …